Hanging by a Moment

Another month passed before Ash was right where he wanted to be: on the road touring around the country again. Unlike the last tour he and the guys embarked on, he had two things with him this time that he hadn’t then: his wonderful, loving family, and a beautiful engagement ring.

While he spent as much time with the former as he possibly could, the bassist kept the latter hidden in a secret compartment in the headboard of his and Rebel’s bed. He was waiting till what he felt was the right time to even consider popping the question, much less actually doing it. However, with every day that passed, he could feel the love between them growing stronger, and he felt that time was slowly creeping up on them. He could only hope that his steel rose felt the same, and wouldn’t completely humiliate him publicly.

It was the last show of the tour in late-October, their customary Samhain show, when he finally decided that the time was right. Before he could lose his nerve and back out of what he had planned, Ash told the guys that tonight was the night. Since he’d been the only one to pop the question, much less go through with a marriage—which had subsequently ended in divorce—Jinxx patted his back and told him it’d be all right.

The multi-instrumentalist told him that, unlike his own ex-wife, the love he saw in Rebel’s eyes every time she looked at him was genuine and unconditional. She’d seen him at his lowest—exhausted and frazzled beyond belief the morning after finding Legacy—and yet she still loved him. He was the sun her solar system revolved around, her rock to lean on when she needed the extra strength. Jinxx didn’t question the young woman’s love for him like he eventually ended up questioning that shown to him by Sammi. There was no reason to, and he doubted it’d ever fade away.

“Thanks, Jinxx,” the bassist said, giving him a relieved smile. “I dunno what I’d do without you.”

“You’d probably still be a drunken mess flirting with anything drawing breath every time you went to a bar to drown your pain,” his friend chuckled, patting his back. “But now you’ve found the woman meant for you.”

“And Hell will not only freeze over, but solid before I let her get away,” Ash swore. “I’d be too heartbroken to live for anything but Legacy if I did that.”

“Well, let’s get this show on the road, then,” the younger man said.

Nodding his agreement, he grabbed his bass and tossed the strap over his head, barely able to keep his anxiety at bay. Jinxx now held his violin and bow, his guitar hanging from its strap over his own shoulder as they headed backstage. Already waiting on them were Jake, who was making a last-minute check on his guitar’s tuning, CC, who was twirling his drumsticks in excitement, and Andy, who was bouncing like a hyper child as he clutched his mic. They only had to wait for their cue to storm the stage as they had every other show this tour, none of them acting like anything significant was just on the horizon.

Halfway through the show, everybody but CC took their usual break while the drummer stayed behind to pound out his solo. Ash, Jake, and Jinxx all changed out their guitars while Andy guzzled water like it was going out of style. Granted, the bassist himself joined him on that, not to mention mopping the sweat from his person, once he’d changed his bass.

After CC’s solo had ended, the others once again took their places on stage, the young frontman getting the crowd riled up again. He was elated as he always was on stage, and he swore that was the one thing keeping his anxiety for his pending surprise from showing. He poured everything he could into playing and singing his parts, his fingers flying over his fret board as his mouth remained open while hitting one of his higher notes. Only as they continued into the solo of their next to last song did he pant slightly to catch his breath.

Once the last song on any of them albums had been played, Ash knew it was time. They took a bit of a breather before Andy held his mic up next to his face again, getting the crowd’s attention with that deep voice and charismatic personality of his. The crowd seemed a bit stunned to find out that they weren’t quite done, as they’d all expected In the End to be their closer, but how wrong they were.

“I’m gonna be taking my leave while the others stay out to do something special,” Andy said, a grin splitting his face. “So now, without further ado, I’m handing off the role of lead to Ash.”

“Thanks, Andy,” he answered into his head set, the mic positioned just where he needed it.

Smiling, the frontman turned off his mic as he headed backstage so he wouldn’t interfere with what he had planned.

“Guys, this next song is one that means a lot to me, as well as someone that I love and cherish,” the bassist said, still somehow quelling his anxiety. “I begged the guys to learn the respective parts with me because of what I’m gonna do after we play it, and I want that special someone to come out here with us.”

A startled look took over Rebel’s face as the roadies all but shoved her out on the stage, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“I dunno how many of you were at the show she filled in for me on last year, but this beauty right here is Rebel,” Ash said, giving her a tender smile this time. “I was lucky enough to be the man who caught her heart, but I think she’s even luckier than me. She was the one woman who managed to tame the Outlaw.”

The crowd showed varying reactions, some bursting into laughter while others Awww’d at the sight of his genuine love.

“Anyway, I wanna dedicate this song—and its original version—to you, Rebel.” He continued smiling as Jinxx returned from his momentary hiding spot backstage, a roadie helping him with the upright double bass he had. “This song is called Hanging by a Moment, and that’s what I’m doing tonight.”

As he took a deep breath and awaited his cue, the multi-instrumentalist started the opening bass riff since it’d been played on a double bass rather than a bass guitar. After the first few notes, which Jake joined him for on lead guitar, Ash took another deep breath while beginning the part played on a bass guitar, willing his voice not to crack and break at random times as he sang.

“Desperate for changing, starving for truth… I’m closer to where I started…chasing after you… I’m falling even more in love with you, letting go of all I’ve held on to. I’m standing here until you make me move…I’m hanging by a moment here with you,” he sang, his eyes locked with hers.

“Forgetting all I’m lacking…completely incomplete. I’ll take your invitation; you take all of me… Now I’m falling even more in love with you, letting go of all I’ve held on to. I’m standing here until you make me move; I’m hanging by a moment here with you. I’m living for the only thing I know; I’m running and not quite sure where to go, and I don’t know what I’m diving into, just hanging by a moment here with you.

“There’s nothing else to lose; there’s nothing else to find. There’s nothing in the world…that can change my mind. There’s nothing else…there’s nothing else…there’s nothing else…”

Ash looked down at his fret board to make sure he played his riff right as they continued into the solo, but also to hide the anxiety he could feel ready to burst through his chest. As he played every note as perfectly as when they’d been practicing in the studio, he never saw his sweetheart motion to one of the roadies to bring her Andy’s mic, so he had no idea that she now had a surprise of her own in store for him.

“Desperate for changing, starving for truth… I’m closer to where I started…chasing after you…” the bassist sang, looking up in shock as he heard Rebel’s beautiful voice mingle with his while Jinxx played the same opening bass riff again.

“I’m falling even more in love with you, letting go of all I’ve held on to. I’m standing here until you make me move; I’m hanging by a moment here with you. I’m living for the only thing I know; I’m running and not quite sure where to go, and I don’t know what I’m diving into, just hanging by a moment here with you.

“Hanging by a moment…hanging by a moment. Hanging by a moment…just hanging by a moment here with you…”

It was all he could do to hide his shock at Rebel finishing out the second half of the song with him, her voice sounding beautiful as always. But now came the really nerve-wracking part…popping the big question in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and praying she wouldn’t make a fool of him.

After handing off his bass to his tech, Ash took a deep breath that was audible through his headset as Andy rejoined them. The young frontman stood off to the side with the others, an encouraging smile on his face that matched those worn by their friends. Knowing his would-be brothers had his back calmed his nerves a bit, but he was still on the verge of a panic attack. After all, it wasn’t every day that a man asked the love of his life who was so hard-won to spend the rest of her life by his side.

“I decided to dedicate that song to you for a reason, mio acciaio rosa,” the bassist said, taking her free hand as he stared into her gorgeous chocolate eyes. “I think you already know how much you mean to me, that I wouldn’t have been able to become who I needed to when I needed to without you.” He chose his words carefully to avoid giving away his fatherhood since he hadn’t told the world about Legacy yet.

“I think the lyrics of that song say it all…I constantly feel like I’m getting closer to where I first started chasing after you, and I’ve let go of all I’ve ever held on to, if only to keep you by my side.” He took another deep breath as Jinxx discreetly slipped the ring he’d held on to into the hand hidden from both her and the crowd behind his back. “I can’t help but love you even more with every passing day, and I hope that you feel the same way. There’s just one thing that I wanna ask you…” It was only then that he slowly dropped to one knee, his hand coming out from behind his back as he did so.

“Will you be my lifelong Rebel and Siren, and take my name as you become my wife?”

Notes